


Duality

by DisasterJones



Category: Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Creepypasta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 23:51:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisasterJones/pseuds/DisasterJones
Summary: Jack comes face to face with his worst nightmare





	1. H̵͈̣͙i̲̼͖ ̛ṭ͎̼̖̝̜͎̕h̞e̶̜̮̜̼̪r̢e̱̣̫͖̤̞̻

Sean had had enough.

“WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES IS THAT SOUND?!” he shouted to an apparently empty house. 

_  
Third time today,_ he thought, running a hand through his hair as he walked through the hall. _I let it alone ‘cause I thought it was just the wind,_ he turned a corner, lightly scowling to himself, _but I know I heard somethin._

He paused for a moment near his kitchen, baffled by the auditory enigma.

_There!_

He pinpointed the noise coming from a tall mirror hanging in the hall, but he questioned the possibility of such a phenomenon. Surely Signe was playing a trick on him – she knew how much creepy laughter freaked him out. After hearing the chilling laughter again, he determined a metallic, unreal quality to it – _Ha! It must be a recording. Clever girl! –_ and confidently spun on his heel to return to the kitchen.

Until -

**_H̷̠̼͟e͓͍̱̙͎̞͈̭͞͝ý̵̧̲̪̱_ **

__

_Whaaaaaat was that?_ Sean tensed at the unmistakable sound of another presence; he turned slowly to face the mirror again, this time scrutinizing it carefully. For a moment, he thought he imagined it, until he absentmindedly scratched his nose and the reflection didn’t do the same.

  
“What the fu-”

  
The copy of Sean opened it’s mouth, but it halted midair – it appeared as though it were video feed instead of a mirrored image, and it was paused, or lagging. Sean felt his hair stand on end as he gazed into the hollow eyes of the bizarre reflection. His heart began to race. Every instinct told him to run. Why wasn’t he running?

Then the image flashed – suddenly the copy was different. Suddenly it looked like Sean, except for the eyes. The right eye was blue like his, but it was bloodshot and glossy, like it had been damaged – the left was a black mass save for a toxic green pupil, and a thin trickle of black ooze trailed from it as though overfull – or was it a tail?

The figure in the mirror cocked its head and grinned menacingly, flashing a bloody, fanged smile for a brief moment before flickering and glitching and returning to a pearly white leer. The giggle that erupted was otherworldly – it sounded like three voices at once, and none of them human. It was a grating, metal-grinding-metal, nails-on-a-chalkboard noise that made Sean twitch uncomfortably.

**H̪͉̘͖̟͎̦͠i̟͚ ͕ṱ͝he̞̦̗͓͎r̨e͏̩̼̳̝̲.͜ ̩̠̺̬̻͚̘M͈͓̥̭y͍̺͍͔̺̫ ̠͙͙̦̠̠̩͠n̜͕͈͈̻̕a̸̰̞̥͖̦m̢e'̡͍̥̫͙̱̲͇s͉̻̥̬ ̴̝͉͚̝͎J̡̱a̫͔̱͕͙c͈̹̬k̸̼.  
  
**

  
Casting doubt aside, Sean attempted a smug composure, casually scoffing,“Ah, no, sorry buddy, but _I’m_ Jack – position’s been filled, not takin’ any applicants.” He smirked arrogantly and glanced away, dismissing him, “Maybe you’re looking to be the Anti-”  


 

##  **_Ņ̶̾ͦ̌ͯ̈ͬ͌̅̆̿҉̳̠̤̬̱̦͍̲̙͚̘̗̟̖̼̪͎͟͞O̵̡̱̦͔̪͕͓̱̲͍͋̌͊̃̋̄ͯ͢ͅ_ **

̸͐͌̋ͥ̒͐̓̍ͭ̿̏̆ͨ̾̀҉̷̦̤̮̟͎̤̲̖̘̯͇͞

 

It screeched inhumanly, the sound warped and metallic, like rusted iron clashing against bloody steel – it was a visceral fury unlike anything Sean had ever heard before. His body crumpled to the hard tile, knees landing with a sickening _thud._ He rushed to cover his ears in a desperate attempt to deaden the noise, but to no avail – the harsh, rasping, banshee-like shriek pierced through. His ears rang savagely, leaving him stunned and dizzy, incapable of comprehending sound.

It settled for a moment, the creature seemed to collect itself – a very human moment despite its apparent nature – before slowly locking eyes with Sean. After staring for an uncomfortably long time, the creature grinned openly, baring its teeth, and in that exact moment, it changed. No longer was it this shifting digital form with multicolored eyes and bloodied features – now it was a perfect mirror image of himself.

**_M̟͓y̢̻̮̩̩̲ ̬͖̝̩̥͞ṉ̸̩͇͈a̵̖͈̟̬m͝e̹̰̥̥.̳͍̻̮̕ ͈͘I̛̞̻̖̙͍̥s̱ ̨͕͙̰̩̝J͎͖̺̗a̜͈̰͇̰̠̠͠c̺̦͎̟̣͠k͓̲̰.̧̠͉̝͙̠̹  
  
_**

Sean gaped, his breath catching in his throat. He suddenly couldn’t move, every extremity felt locked in ice - his knees shook and his stomach felt like it was going to collapse in on itself any second. He wanted to scream, to alert someone, anyone, to shake himself out of it, anything.  
Nothing worked. He remained frozen, entranced and immobilized by fear, caught in the gaze of this thing that wore his face.

**Yo͡u ͏şe͘e, it ͝s͏t̀a͝r̵te͝d o͠ųt͟ ̢so s̵i̵mpl͞e.  
̀  
A ̧n̶i̕c̀kn҉a͡m͢e. ҉A f͜u͝n҉n̷y ̛l̛ít̴tle tr̨o̢p͢é.  
̷  
T̀h̴e ͏l͡òud̨ a҉ng̶r͘y͘ ̸I͘r̕ishm̢a̛n..͜.**

  
“Jack” trilled to himself, citing the various forms of his creation, reminiscing over all the milestones “he” and “his subscribers” had hit. He seemed almost whimsical at times – Sean felt a familiar pang of deja vu, but couldn’t place his finger on it. He became distracted, watching the figure calling itself “Jack” glitch in and out of existence. He spoke wildly, the form again expanding and contracting erratically as he inflected. Sean’s eyes struggled to focus on the figure; it constantly flickered between two-dimensional binary code, to pixelations, then back to the three-dimensional horror that waxed nostalgic before him, hair matted and face smeared with blood, eyes wild and unreal, seeping black at the edges. Looking at it too long was like staring at TV static – intensely luminous and hard to look at, yet somehow strangely entrancing and impossible to pull your gaze from.

Sean mused to himself silently until the unsettling eyes – one ice blue, bloodshot and glossy, the other acid green and oozing tar – snapped abruptly to meet his, shattering the daze that had befallen him. The terrifying visage suddenly contorted into a furious scowl; Sean instantly felt his stomach drop and a wave of fear and shock wash over him.  


**_I̛̘͓͖̣̮̒̎̆t̯́̍̈́̔̿ ̤̤̘̻ͤ̐̈́ͩ̀w̼̰ͩ͒͌̎ͫͨ̕ă̹̮͖̻̻̠s͏̤̜̦ ͌a̹͓͚̦̳̰̓ͣl̤̥͇̣̯͈̗ͣ͆͛͆̌l̛̞̿ͨ͑ ͚̺̱̮̇ͪ̋͝j̭̩̣ͮ̕ư͌̌ͦ̊s̭͎͚͓̠ͯͨ̂ͦt̮̏̿ͯ͑̿ͦ ̱͎a͗̏ͮ ͤ͛̔ͪb̴̤̥̟͇̬̿̂̏͊ͨi̗̗̜͋́t̩̥͎̠͐̂͌͗̚ ̪͚̭̮͙͆̅͛̈͝o̺̓̇ͅf̰̩͕̲̟̞̰̅́ ͔̻̪̣̭̽̈̂f̧̭͙͖ͫū͙̬͖͑̔ͨͣ͒ņ̥̜͔̉̔ͩ́̃ ̻͈̲̬̞̼̳ͮ̃ͩ̎f̶̜̦̭͛ͥ̓ͮͪ̇ȯ̲̱ͤ̈́́̕r̯̱̣̓͌ͭ̋ ̡̝̥̪̹̜ͣͪ͊ͨ̂y̭͕̖̫̳̬͐̓̏ó̸̺̙ͧ̚ū̵͓̰̙_ **

**_  
_**  
“Wha-”

  
  
̶̦̬͓̫̭̊̓̔̾ ** _B̗̳̃ủ̶͉͕̑͆ṯ̶̱͍ ̫̠̭̟̙͉̾ͤ̿ͪͦy̖͎̻̩̪̘o̝͚̟̲͑̇̊ͮ̂ṳ̞̼͚̮͋̄ͦ̿̓̿̄͡ ͎̣͙̻͎̖̞ͫ̆̈̊ͫ̚̕t̤̭͎̣̗̲̖ͥ̉a̱̜͓̘͊͆͌̇k̵̺̈͗͗̏ͪͩĕ̗͖̥͈̗̝͉̐̈͂͑ ̪̣̺̯̫̬ͪ͞ĩ̴̹̦͚̤̜ͣ̏ͦt͚̎̋ ̷̖͕̤̟̝͌̈́̓̽̉ͮ̒f̴̜̬̼͛ọ̱̟̼̯̥͒ṛ͇͕̬̲̝ ̸̟͙̺̬̣̭ͭg̈̂̀ͦ͏̞̙̭͚͚͙r̺̠̫̀̋̉͂ͩ̏a͓̭͍̾ͨ̂̕n̗̖͖̼̈͗ͯ̅͑̑̂t̵̥͌͌ͯͪe̦̓̋̉ͪ͒ͥ͘d̡͖̰̪̠̻̖̮ͮ̿͒ͮ͌̂_**

  
  
It seethed and spat, the words warping, sounding like tinny, hollow record scratches – harsh and jagged, seeming to carve into his eardrumb. Sean grimaced both in pain and in protest.

  
“What do you mean 'I take it for granted’?” 

  
Sean barely managed to pull the words from his throat. He was feeling smothered. How long since he’d taken a breath? How long since he blinked? How long had he been here? The panic began to set in as his attempts to summon a breath failed, his vision began to swim. He blinked rapidly, willing himself with every last fiber of his being to stay conscious, to make it through. _It’s a test_ , he told himself, _it has to be a test, I can do this, just a little bit longer._

Jack stared agape at Sean through the mirror for a moment before letting a foul sneer creep across his lips.

 

 

## W̸̡̟͚̪̜͖͖̪̓͑ͣḨ̜̤͓̖͔̘̀̕Ả̺̥͎͎͔͒̃͝T̮͓͖̙̀̓͆̽̓ͧͮͭ̓ ̧̡̩͕̫̬͉̞͛̈ͧͦͪd͍̹̞̑̐͊̀o̴̙̥̙͎̟ͯͩ́ͣ̓ͥ̑̚͜ ̫̤͉͇͇̥̅̾͑ͥ͝Ï̖̹̩͚͔̗̗̐̂́ _ͭ̈ͫ҉̬m̏̆̓̒̋̄̾͏̣̩̟̦̰̮͕ḛ̔ͨ̾̍ͥ̾̐̉a͔̙͂̆̏̄n͓͖̤̳̘̺̈́͂̓͘͜?̷̢̹̘̜͙̣̭͇͚͗͋̍ͧ͛̕_

 

 

 

 

##  _̃̈́͐̏̐ͬͪ͊͊̌͗̌̌̄ͤ̍͊́T̸̀ͫ͋ͮ͘͡Hͤͥ̈ͥ͐҉I̓͆̂̿͗̓ͬ̍̀͢S̛ͪ̉̾̄ͬͧ̄ͧͣ̄̊́́̕ ̴̴̊͛͑̾̓̏̌̎̍B̅̌̌̓̎̓̑̉͆̿̅̈́̏ͯ҉̴̡Ŏ̡ͫ͋̄̓ͧ̒̓́͞Ď̨ͨͥ͂̒̐̐̆̎́͂͐͊̃̉̽̄̽́̕͞Y̧̐͗̍͊̂̿͐͐͛̆̆̒̅ͯͬ̊̀_

##  _̷̌̔ͯ̑̂̉ͥͥ̀̚͞͠  
__̢̔ͦ͂͌ͭ̉̽͂ͯ̿̀̎͗̾ͩͭ̈́ͣ̕͜͟T̢̃̽ͦͪ̎͘ H̷̃͑̀̅ͤ͗͡ I̸̧̛ͩ͂̇͆͂̐͋ͪ̅ͫͤ̇ͭ̀̓͟͝ Š̷̶̎͊̾̄̍̈̇̒̏ͨ̐͌̈́͒̊͞ ̴̧̾̇̓ͩͩͤ̈́̒ͪ͌̿̒͑̓̎͗́  L̵̢̢̍̽ͦ͑̀ͨ̏̔̐̈́ͬ́̌̇ͭͬ̚ I̸̛̊̓͗̽̿ͩ̋͐̍ͨ̋ͨ̈ͧ̈́̀̓̇̚͢͜͠ F̨̢͐̒ͤ̐̆ͧ̑̀̚͜ E͛͛̒͗͒͊͟͟͞_

 

 

##  _̵̵̧̡̧̡̝̰͈͚̰͓͉̜̮̻̭̝̰͈͚̰͓͉̜̮̻̭ͫͭ̄̓ͪ̍̏̇̋͗̑̆̄ͣ̓ͫͭ̄̓ͪ̍̏̇̋͗̑̆̄ͣ̓̚͘̚͘͠͠ͅͅY̛̒ͯ̀̌͂͐̀̇̏ͨ̅҉̝̙̬͎̝̱̯̘̭̕͜ O͗̎̾̈́҉̷̛̪̤̺͓̩͖͙̝̬͎͔̤͔͚̬͞͠ Ǘ̵̸̢̧̥͙̳͕̺̥̰͙̠̣͍̳̮̲̞͇̹͎̰̉ͦͨ͠    ̸̸̡͚̞̮͔̟̣̦̺͙͖̦̐̾̓ͫ̄ͫ̾̊ͩ̊ͣ̓ͩ̊͘ **S̖͖̙̙̳̩̱̩͎̗̻̼͔̖̓͗̆ͥͭ̕͟͠ͅE̖͈͓ͤͥ̈́ͭ̔ͫ͑ͤ͑̔͑ͬ̚̕͝A̵̢͚̖̲̦͍̟̮̞̼̭̠̗͓͔͛͑̾͑͑ͦͭ̌̓̃̿͛͗̈́̂ͧ̇̉̚͝ͅN̡̛̘̗͈͇̖͚͓̘̥͛̌́ͨ̎̌̄̋̇ͨ̋̕**_

 

 

  
Jack was enraged, his physical form shifting in between planes of existence rapidly, blazing and strobelike, somehow surrounding Sean’s vision, completely enveloping him in a haze of digital surreality, glitching between a minimalistic plane and a blackened, bloody hellscape.

 

##  **_  
_****_̴͚͖͉̥̮͑̓Y͎̜̪͈͖͛͒̎͟O̺̪̦̎̈̈̈́̍͘͢Ư̛̞̹̖̞̳̞ͯͯ̊ͩ̅̐̓̕ ̬̠͔̬͖̦̟̠̦̑̑̆̑̆̐͞H͖̖̋ͦ̌ͅÂ̢͈̯̳̼̬̮̆̏̓V̴̗͕̖̠̮ͣ͡Ĕ̸͎̤͎̀͜͞ ̬͙͉̜͈̹̰̊ͧ̚͟͝Y̢͔͎̟̭̳̭̣̪̹̒͋̀̐͊ͪ̑̕͟Ȏ̰͉̼̈́̌ͯ̀͡ͅU͈͚͇̱̝͚͈̞ͩ̃͛̓͞ͅR̼͙͇̜̭͈͈͔ͩ̈̇̋̽̀͘͘ͅ ̬̮̰͉͗́́͌̑͑O̸͓̖̭͈͎͒̾̕W̮̟͎̑̒͛̽̂̂̚̕Ñ̠̻͒ͫ̿̓ͤͣͧ͡ ̧͉̬̫͓̳̖̂́́̕ͅI̡̡͕̝̱̪̟̜̞ͪͪͮ̐̎͒ͥͅD̴̹͓̱͉͋̽̔̐͑̐̔́E̟͕̭̘̜̔͗̾ͧ͜N̻̙ͣ̍͐̀͗͑̔T̸̥̠͎̱̋͊ͯ̀͐ͩ͛ͮI̸̲̔̈ͥ̑̈́̈́ͮͥTͮ̈́ͪ̂҉̥̘̱͍̟̙̮͈͜Y̋ͦ̎͐ͩ͏͈̼͈̣͍̪͟  
_****_̰͖̩͙̫͉̂̅̿ͭ͑ͨ͞  
_****_̡̖͇̯̜̬̩̂͌̇̿͘  
_****_̋͊ͭ̆ͥ͡͏̱͍Y̶͔̗͌́̀͒̍͡Ȯ̵͔̣͢͠U̧͓̥ͣͭ̀R̺̩̝̬̲͆̎̐̐͒ͭͩ̐͘ ̦̭͚̩̭̞̠͇̗̾ͮ̚͘O̩̪ͫͮ̓͞W̷̘͕̲̖̠͈̠͛͆ͨ̅̈́͆ͮ̎́ͅN̺̪̭̥͉̭ͮ̂̽̊̍͞ ̂̔̈́̍̋̚͏̢̗̯͖͕͓̘B̴̟̥̼̙̑̓ͣͧ͑̉ͭ̃̓͘O̲̩̪̩͈̗̲̔D̖ͨͥͦ͛̔ͥ̚̚͡Y̵̢̭͎̽̍  
_****_̡͈̭̮̠̮̹͂̽ͪ̀  
_****_̢͈̤͕̟̘ͤ̽ͦ͊̃́̚  
_******_̶̶̣̫͉̋͞B͙̱͆ͪU̴̶̜̼̼̘̼̥̦̗̣͂̇ͪ͐͋̾͂ͩT̨͇̪̞̠̙̖̓ͩͣ̃̿̍̈́͆ ̗̯̜̠͐̾̐ͯ͗̓ͥ͐ͭ́T̿̃ͦ͞͏͚̼̻̗̹ͅH̷̗̤͍͎͖̺͖̔̾E̡͓̪͔̯͉̪̗̹̎ͮ͆ͮͤͫ̒N͇͔̲̬̟̎̈̆ͣͨͣ͞ͅ ̵͙̠̂̉̍͞Y̝̜̣̟̝͎͎̰̬̽͆͗ͦ̀̚͘͜O̵̰̜͙̭̰̞̞̥̒Û̗͉̝̦͎̥̦ͬͅ ̘̺͙̣̩̜͚̖̄̉̑̀ͪ̍ͧ̂́́̕W̶̢͖̟̟̗͍̍͊̒E̖̦͓̦̯̘̔͋̄ͯ̓͒ͦͧ͘N̨̳̳̭͉̟̜̩̱̔̈́ͦͤT̷̨̙̟̜̾̎̿͊ ̛̳̮̭̙̯ͬ̐ͭ́͆A̰̜̙͍͚̠̪͓͉͒ͯ̕Ṋ̻͓̪̤̜ͬͥ̄̔̕͝D̥̼̺̦̪͓̱̟̼̈́͆͆ͮ̾ͦͩ͠͝ ̵̝̳̓̐̎̏͂͛͌ͯC̆ͭ͒̏̾҉͏̫͓̻͔͚R̤̤͋ͨ̔͋̐ͭ̀͡E̵̡̤̯̟͙͍͉̤ͭ̔̐ͦ̂ͯ̊͝A̎̅͏̫̲̫̠͇̗͟Tͥ̀̓̓͊̚͢҉̰̝̰͇͍͙͕͡E̸̼̠̬͇̖͂͘D̶̫̠̮̪̈̎ͩͣ_

**_  
  
_**

****

****

##  **_̢̧̻̖͇̎͛̽ͦ̌̈́͗́͌̓̋́̓̕͜͡M̸̛̞̠͚͚̯̗̲̈́̅̎̒ͤ̌̽̌̒̋͑̔͋ͬ̉̎̈́͒͘͟ Ȅ̵̝͎͇̩̈́͐̾̿̀͟_ **

 

Jack’s voice thundered and boomed, crackling and distorting through his rasping screams and laughter.

  


 

##  **_Ả̈Nͨ͆͢Ḋ̓͘ ̡̎̾̈̿̔̾ͮiͮ̂̏̑͑̇͡n̑̋͗ͪ̾̾ ̸͑͒̀͞ c̷̎̂͑̏́ąͯͫ̐͊̓̔ͣͩ̕͡s̄̉̍̊̉̿͒ë́̓͆ ̶̛ͯͬ͟ y̶̡ͧ̉o̓ͫ͊ͬ̑́ů͋ͧ͛̆̅̋͏ ̡ͨͣ̈́͡ f͛͗̿ͦͤ̔̌͜oͬ̈́͒ͪͭ̒ͭͨ͏̵ŗͤ̌̽͑ͯ͒̐ͮ̚͘͢gͮ̋҉̕ǫ̡ͥ͂͗̉̔̎ͩ͂͡t̸̓͛̂͐͋ͫ̂̕_ **

  
_I couldn’t do it… I failed…_ Sean could feel consciousness slipping away, the corners of his vision narrowing and blurring out, barely making out Jack’s hands reaching out through the mirror for him before falling unconscious.

##  **_  
  
_**

##  ****

##  **_̢͙͙̬̜̯͍͕͖͖̠̬̥̳̳̫̥̊ͤ͂ͥ͟͟ͅͅT̸̠̲̯̥̻̞͈͍̭̦̱͕͕͍ͬ̎̂ͣ͑ͫ̑͋͒͆ͧ̍̌̑͗̽͒̂̏͞ͅH͓̩̮̯̪̝̹͓̘̫̼͒͆̊̈̓͂͠͞E̶̢̛͈͈͕̝̝̭̬̼ͨͯ̀̾̆ͦ̚͘ͅͅŜ̤͓͎̞̥͔͍̮̮̦̳̹̊̒͂͗͛̑ͥͪͧͦͯ̚͞ͅÊ̵̱̠͍̤̺̥̻͙̣̳̦̝̫̞̭͂ͮ̃ͪ́ ̧͉̝̦̱̱̬͚̹̱͕̭͇̞͛ͬ̊̊ͯͨ̀̚͘͢͝ͅ  E̡̢͚̳̟̖̻͆̔̿̐̐ͧ̅ͥ̄́Y̊̈͑ͥ̉̐҉̵͇̮̘͓̱̫͓͞Ĕ̛ͭͯ̒̍̃ͨ̆̽̋ͪ̆ͫ̌ͤ̐̋͆́҉̶̸̺̫̻̘S̷̴̢̪̹̘̞͚͓̉̎̓͒̎̋ͮ̄ͪͯ̌̋̅̈́̔   ̵̧͇͚̯̜͓̻̼͈̀̈́̈ͦ̐͆ͥͧͭ̓̌́ͫ͗͆ͫ͠͡A͕̩̰͎͙̭̘̬̺̖̘̍ͧ͊̆́́̐̇̈́̆̿̋̍̈́̒̚͜͟R̴̴̡͓̜̗̗̞̞̜̤̣͉̘̘̀̂̐̈́ͮͣ̊̚͘Ẽ̡̤̭̖̭̠̥͖̟͎̮̺̳ͮ̇ͧͫͯ̚͘͠͝ ̜̙̪̽͌̇̊ͥ̎ͦ̀͡ͅ  M̴̴̨̦̺̹̯͇͇͆̍ͧ̽͜͞I̔̊͌͊ͫ̒ͯ̈́̑̽̎̔̏́̓͛̈́͘͏̖̘̰͍̥͖̙̩͞N͐ͨͩͯͣͯ̓͂ͯ̽҉̷̡̼͉̥̺̜̜̘͕̩̪͉̤͞͡Ȅ̃̄ͧͣ͊̔̄ͧ̓͆ͣ̍̆͂ͮ̅ͭ҉̸̫̼̫̫̦͎͚̰͕̗̮̖̗̠̮̦̜̮_ **

****

****


	2. D̮i̧̛̺̗̱̯̰̼̦̰d̶̡̠̻̼͘ ̶̟̦̠̱̙͕̖̕ͅý̞̱̥͜͠ǫ̫̯̦̲̥͜u̙̱̖͕̖͘͝͞ ͔̹̻̯̲̺̬͎m̳̼̤̣̹͉͕͠į̷̨̲̠̩͍̘ş̨̬̗̬̫̖̩̟̠ş̶̟̦̘̱̪̪̬̦͟ͅ ̷̮͖̼̺͕̗̯ͅm̥͎̩̻͙͖ͅͅe̫̩̰̺̞̞̝?̸̯̙̬̖͔͠

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was it just a dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CN: blood

“No!”  
  


Sean’s eyes shot open as he flailed awake, an action immediately met with a sudden shock of pain as his little toe connected squarely with the edge of his computer desk. His vision swam as tears swelled from his eyelids, immediately launching into a frantic expletive-filled rage.

  
“SON ofA FUCK nugget, godDAMNit, ass AND a HALF..”

  
He brought his knee to his chest and settled his throbbing foot upon the chair, swearing under his breath as he gingerly rubbed his toe. He quickly blinked away the tears and wiped his face on his knee, focused on breathing – shallow and flighty at first, gradually evening out. His mind began to wander, recollecting the horrifying experience he had in the hallway.

_That can’t have been real, can it?_ He chewed absentmindedly at the corner of his lip, lost in thought – his thoughts trailed to the last few things Anti- er.. “Jack” said. It echoed clear as day in his mind, down to the unearthly sound of his fury, the cacophony of digital screeching and grating metal that somehow formed words.

 

##  **y̛͏o̕͟ù̵̴̸ ͘t̵̀a̡͞k̀͟͜͢e͏̵͝ ̵͟i̕҉̵̡̛t̴̢͟ ̧͏̢͏̶f͞͏̛͠o̶̵̧͟͜r҉̀́ ̶̶́͞g̵̡̢r҉̡̧̛à̶n͘͝t̶̡̢̛ę͠d̸̛͝**

 

_For granted.. What does that mean?_ Sean pondered to himself as he stared out the window; he watched a pair of birds flit about between some trees in the distance. He felt his teeth tug sharply for a moment, but before the sensation registered, he’d already torn the skin from his lip. The familiar coppery taste of blood filled his mouth; _I must’ve been chewing harder than I thought,_ he reasoned. He stood slowly, his body writhing involuntarily into a long, satisfying stretch.

Sean removed the headphones and placed them on the desk with his left hand while he dabbed at his lip with his right. A dime-sized dot of crimson colored his fingertip; unperturbed, he wiped the blood away on his jeans and licked the raw spot on his lip. Barefoot, he strode through the hallway to reach the bathroom, his feet padding softly across the cool surface as he went. The bathroom was just after the mirror from the… dream? …encounter? Whatever it was, the mirror still made Sean uneasy, and he hesitated for a moment.

_It was probably nothing. When did ya get so paranoid, Jackaboy?_

He chuckled and rolled his eyes to himself, chastising his gullibility, and marched determinedly past the mirror. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but for some reason, “nothing” wasn’t it. He paused for a moment, turning in place while he listened intently for anything out of the ordinary; after several seconds of silence, he decided all must be normal. He let out a sigh as he turned into the bathroom, flicking on the light switch with a finger. He stopped dead and his stomach fell as he took in his reflection, the blood quickly draining from his face.

 

A thick streak of inky black was smeared halfway down Sean’s chin, and more was continuing to ooze from his lip. Just as he was beginning to process the pitch black muck dripping from his face, it shifted before his eyes for a brief moment to a collection of hazy green 1’s and 0’s. Panicked, he dragged his arm across his mouth, attempting to wipe away the discolored substance – he glanced down, confusion and worry lining his face as he stared at the perfectly normal red smear on his arm. His gaze traveled cautiously upward to the mirror, widening with horror as his visage now grinned back at him.

A quick yelp escaped his throat as Sean jumped back from the mirror. _Not again, not again, no no no_ , his mind flew in circles trying to reason away what his eyes saw, somehow unable to convince them to shut out the image altogether. Instead, he remained transfixed by his counterpart, whose eyes flashed and glitched constantly; first blue, like Sean’s – then green, like Septic Eye Sam – and back again.  

_His eye… isn’t black like last time,_ he thought to himself. As if on cue, Jack cocked his head and gave a short, tight-lipped smile. A cacophonous screech reverberated as Jack’s left eye fragmented violently into a matrix of 1’s and 0’s. Sean jumped and cried out in terror as the eye transformed into the oozing obsidian orb, barely a pinprick of green in the center. _Oh god, it’s worse now,_ Sean brooded as he gaped at the thick, greasy fluid steadily bubbling from the eyesocket and onto Jack’s cheek. W _hat is happening?_

Jack’s smirk stretched into an open mouth grin; the smile stretched impossibly wide, causing the lips in the mirror to crack and spill more black ooze. Sean cried out in pain, cupping his mouth for a moment before revealing his fingers, finding them covered in blood. He felt tenderly around his mouth, wincing each time his finger brushed across a fresh new crack in the skin.  
  


“WHAT IS HAPPENING” he screamed urgently, splattering the counter and floor of the bathroom with scarlet.

  
The image of himself in the mirror threw his head back and cackled wildly; more black tar leaked from the face in the mirror that seemed to flicker like static. Sean grabbed a towel and hastily pressed it to his face, trying to stem the flow of blood. As he made eye contact with Jack in the mirror, he noticed that it wasn’t just Jack in the mirror – he also stood beside a mirror image of Sean’s panicked self, also clutching a towel to his face. Sean’s eyes bulged in fear as he turned to find Jack standing beside him, grinning evilly and definitely real.

 

##  **D̵҉i̧d ̵͝y͏̡o̵u͟ ̴͡m̴̶̴i̕͝s̕͢s̴҉ ͞m̢͜e҉̶͜?**

 

Sean couldn’t summon any words, awestruck by panic. Jack giggled gleefully, a sound that made Sean’s blood run cold and his bones freeze. He tried desperately to muster his courage – he couldn’t confront this thing a second time and STILL not get answers.

  
“What are you? What do you want?”

  
Jack’s laughter cut off abruptly with a sudden flash. Sean stared in wide-eyed horror as he witnessed Jack deconstruct in front of him; his form broke apart into binary code and scattered pixels, bits of information flashing in and out of existence. In a split second, the disjointed pieces merged back together in a blip, revealing Jack’s demonic countenance. Sean’s heart raced as he faced the clone; his eyes searched the copy’s face, waiting for an answer.

 

##  **I҉’m ͞y̡o͞u,͠ of coųrsé**

 

Sean’s eyes were set in permanent unease. His gaze flitted back and forth, looking for an escape. He was trapped. Somehow he hadn’t noticed that they were no longer standing in his bathroom, but rather in a realm of blackness. His bathroom mirror stood before them, and on the other side was Sean’s unconscious body crumpled on the floor, legs buckled beneath him and arms crushed uncomfortably against the doorframe. His heart skipped a beat when he realized there was no towel in sight on the other side of the mirror, where his body apparently now lay.

A clipped sob escaped his throat – what does this mean? He was literally staring at himself, and he had the distinct feeling this wasn’t just a terrible nightmare. He continued to ruminate, vaguely aware that Jack said something to him. The words rang through the air and hung in the air long enough for Sean to grasp their hidden meaning.

 

##  **Y̕o̵̸u̷ ͝ḩ͘͜a̷͝͏d͜ ͞҉yò͡u͜ŗ̴̴ ́͜f҉u͏n̸̡.͢**

 

A moment too late. He turned just a moment too late.

Sean opened his mouth to form the words, to stop him from leaving. To get answers. To fix it.  
But he turned in time to watch Jack’s digital presence melt through the mirror and into Sean’s scrunched frame. He raced forward to jump through, only to be met with a hard, impassable surface – his chest and arms instead slamming against the glass.

 

Sean’s body lifted itself off the ground in a fluid motion, centering itself in front of the mirror. Horrified, Sean watched as his body checked its reflection, fixed its hair, all without its owner. He felt sick and grew dizzy – he thought for sure he was going to pass out. It was then that Sean’s body straightened up on the other side of the mirror and locked eyes with the real Sean trapped in the darkness. Before giving one last eerie smile, he quipped

 

##  **͏̴͘J̶aćķ̶ą̴bơ̶y͏'̛̀͞s ͏͘h̷̀͟om̵̨e̴̵͜ .**

 

Jack turned and sauntered from the room, ignoring the distressed calls coming from the other side of the mirror.

 

* * *

 

Panic. Frustration. Fatigue. Confusion.

Sean’s mind raced as he searched his surroundings for any clue to explain where he was. _What am I gonna do? Where am I? What happened?_ It was a thick, impenetrable darkness all around him. The atmosphere was heavy and stifling, too dense to get a proper gulp of air, or maybe that was just the sense of dread weighing on his lungs. He turned to and fro, trying to make out anything in the abyss before him, find one little pinprick of light, one object, one person – anything but admit to being trapped in a void.

Nothingness.

The root of the fear, it clawed at him.

No ending, no beginning, a void that encompasses everything. Nothing to indicate your existence. Nothing to do. Nothing to see. Nothing to feel. Nothing. No one. Is that what he had to look forward to?

His breath caught in his throat, causing him to choke and hack violently. Anxiety pushed him over the edge, swelling into a panic attack. Sean’s ears rang and his temples throbbed; he grasped the sides of his head as wave after wave of excruciating pain washed across his skull. The muscles in his face and neck tightened and spasmed, contorting his expression into painful scowls. He began to see white spots at the corners of his vision and could taste the familiar tinge of copper in his mouth. He spat – a pile of crimson landed in front of him, suspended in the blackness of the nothing.

Suddenly a thundering demonic legion of voices resounded all around him, hellish sounds that made Sean tremble.

 

##  **N҉ow ̕y͏ǫu ͝ún͠derst͏and**

 

Sean’s gaze wildly panned all around, eyes drawn and taut with terror. His shoulders heaved as he struggled to locate the source; his lungs were barely able to contain the ragged and shallow gulps of air. His heart raced, he was certain it would burst from his chest at any moment and explode. Unable to maintain the strength, he collapsed to all fours, landing solidly on his hands and knees against the apparent invisible bottom of the abyss. Sean closed his eyes, willing the nightmare to end.

 

He heard a sickly sweet chuckle trill through the blackness.

 

##  **A̴̡̧̡̮̤̠͉̼̜̟͢Ḽ̨̢͈͔̫͕͉̥̰̭͔̹̻́ͅL̸̵̠̙̜̺̖͍̙̙̮̕͢͟O̝̲͍͓̘͝W̵͖̖̣̞͇̼͕̪̲̪̹͙͖͎̕ ̛̛̰̲̠͎̰̝̭̘̬̜̣͙̀͜͟M̴͠҉̴̬̮̣̫̻̲̞̼̳̲͝É̶̙̟̻̱̗̟͓͙̥̬͉͖̟̺͠͝**

 

 

Without warning, Sean dropped abruptly, the darkness giving way beneath him and swallowing him whole. Somewhere in the darkness, Sean could hear Jack cackle wildly, and a realization struck him as he continued to plummet.

 

_Flowey._


End file.
